Deevara chittara: Art & Culture Preservation Project
Chittara is a lesser known folk art practiced by several communities in Malenadu region in Karnataka. It is a painting done on the walls of the house for special occasions such as weddings, festivals and other auspicious occasions. Chittara as practiced by the Deevaru, an agrarian community of nature worshippers, is highly regarded for their refinement. The lines and patterns of these paintings symbolize aspects of nature and depict the community’s life and lifestyle. The art form embodies the community’s socio-cultural ethos.
Chittara is a living tradition that deserves to be preserved. The Deevara Chittara book is a critical visual documentation of this artform addressing the dearth of resources, and is the first and only book of its kind today.
The book is the first step in this direction and is expected to initiate conversations around the art form, artists, economic viability, sustainability and more. The project further aims to popularise Chittara through the compilation of audio-video resources around the artform and engage with artists and the public through outreach initiatives.
From our Founder
Chittara is a highly geometric and intricate folk art from Karnataka’s Malnad region. It is integral to the socio-cultural practices of the Deevaru, an agrarian community of nature worshippers. Practiced by women, Chittara is a great source of joy, beauty and creativity.
Chittara adds richness to India’s cultural heritage and deserves to be celebrated.
- Geetha Bhatt
Founder, CFRIA
Team Behind the Book
Geetha Bhatt
Geetha Bhat, the founder of Centre for Revival of Indigenous Arts, is a multifaceted artist, educator, and cultural ambassador with a diverse background in traditional arts, including Origami, Ikebana, and Chittara folk art. She has been promoting numerous Indian and international artists, over the past 40 years
Namrata Cavale
Namrata is a multi-disciplinary designer with a passion for indigenous arts, crafts and textiles. She works with NGOs and social enterprises on building their products and aesthetics, through a systemic approach which fosters sustainability. She has worked across textile craft, skill development, upcycling and special-needs spaces
Smitha Tumuluru
Smitha is a documentary photographer-writer, specialising in research-based visual narratives that focus on rural communities, exploring livelihoods, gender, art, and culture. With a background in the development sector, she blends photography, research and writing to bring depth to narratives of underrepresented communities.
Center for Revival of
Indigenous Art (CFRIA)
Center for Revival of Indigenous Art (CFRIA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and revival of Chittara. Over the past 20 years, CFRIA has showcased Chittara through events, lec-dems, workshops at various educational, cultural institutions, and exhibitions. Chittara murals executed by CFRIA can be witnessed at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) Indian Music Experience (IME) Bosch, Taneira, Science Gallery Bengaluru showrooms to name a few. With hardly any documentation publicly available, CFRIA embarked on a journey to document and archive Chittara and the cultural practices around the artform, culminating in this beautifully crafted book.
